Germaine de Staël Quotes

There is perhaps too much freedom in Protestantism to satisfy a certain religious austerity, which may seize upon the man who is overwhelmed by great misfortunes; sometimes even in the habitual course of life, the reality of this world disappears all at once, and we feel ourselves in the middle of its interests as we should at a ball, where we did not hear the music; the dancing that we saw there would appear insane.

L'amour est l'histoire de la vie des femmes; c'est un épisode dans celle des hommes.

On cesse de s'aimer si quelqu'un ne nous aime.

Life often seems like a long shipwreck, of which the débris are friendship, fame, and love.

La religion n'est rien si elle n'est pas tout, si l'existence n'en est pas remplie.

Genius is essentially creative; it bears the stamp of the individual who possesses it.

The evil arising from mental improvement can be corrected only by a still further progress in that very improvement. Either morality is a fable, or the more enlightened we are, the more attached to it we become.

Sow good services: sweet remembrances will grow from them.

Men do not change; they unmask themselves.

The Influence of Literature upon Society (De la littérature considérée dans ses rapports avec les institutions sociales, 1800), Pt. 2, ch. 4

Frivolity, under whatever form it appears, deprives attention of its power, thought of its originality, and sentiment of its depth.

O Earth! all bathed with blood and tears, yet never Hast thou ceased putting forth thy fruit and flowers.

Ces règles ne sont que des barrières pour empêcher les enfants de tomber.

Love is the whole history of a woman's life; it is an episode in a man's.

La vue d'un tel monument est comme une musique continuelle et fixée, qui vous attend pour vous faire du bien quand vous vous en approchez.